Brian hails result in 'important game'

Reading manager Brian McDermott has admitted that yesterday's game with West Ham was crucial and the result was therefore very important for his side.

The Royals had not won since their victory over Everton in November, which had left them at the root of the table for a considerable amount of time. However, Pavel Pogrebnyak's winner against the Hammers has reduced the gap to five points between ourselves and Premier League safety, proving how relegation is not a foregone conclusion.

Speaking to the Official Reading FC website, McDermott said: 'I thought it was a really important game today. I wouldn't have said that to anyone before the game but my gut feel was that it was very important to get a result. We've got that. We had to be very resilient today, as we have done in the last three games.'

'We want to attack and go for games but we've realised what we need to do to get results in this league. There were a lot of balls into the box, the back four had to deal with a lot of that but we managed the game well, especially late on. Every point is precious and it's a good win. Our fans will go home happy and that's very pleasing for us.'

I praised Brian a few days ago for how he set up against Swansea and he made a very bold tactical move in yesterday's game, opting to 4-4-2 in the final 25 minutes of the game. The introduction of Hunt allowed us to pressure the Hammers' defenders and force them into long ball, which was dealt very comfortably by Pearce and co. Well done Brian!